Labour MSP Colin Smyth queries the pay policy and whether it has been taken into account when allocating funds to health boards.

Shona Robison confirms there are resources within the budget to go towards the pay settlement, but adds the Scottish government has taken on board commitments from the Treasury so is expecting consequentials to come from recommendations made by the independent public pay body.

The Scottish government has dismissed the chancellor's pledge of extra funding for Holyrood as a "con".

Philip Hammond said moves in his Autumn Budget would "mean £2bn more for the Scottish government".

But Scotland's finance secretary said Holyrood had been "short changed", and that funds for day to day spending would actually fall.

Derek Mackay said it was "money with strings attached" which could not be spent "directly on frontline public services" - including the NHS - and would eventually have to be repaid to the Treasury.

Health Secretary Shona Robison points to work on improving elective procedures and scheduled care as a priority.

She says reducing delayed discharge will increase capacity elsewhere in the system, adding this must happen before removing acute capacity.

Convener Neil Findlay asks if this is where transition money will go.

Ms Robison reemphasises that need to "get the system into balance" to cope with future demand.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay asks if a health board needs more beds will that be funded through transitional funding.

Ms Robison says there will be more bed capacity through the elective centres but funding for more beds flies in the face of the direction of travel.

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Committee convener Neil Findlay asks if NPD is now the same as PFI.

Scottish government director of health finance Christine McLaughlin says the accounting issues for NPD have been resoloved.

Mr Findlay asks if the name of NPD needs to be changed as there is now significant profit to be redistributed.

Ms McLaughlin says there is confusion around PFI and PPP.

She says there is still a way to go with the earlier PFI projects like the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, Thinkstock

The National Health Service did a lot better out of the budget than other public services. The £400m allocating for next year looks like a 2% real terms increase.

But the experts reckon the NHS needs an extra 1% simply to deal with the increased pressure from demographic change - that is, an ageing population.

If that takes out £200m of the uplift, another £170m will be required to meet that minimum guaranteed pay increase for NHS staff.

Read the rest of Holyrood's budget: unpacked and exposed here.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs raises the issue of the capital budget and the need for repairs across the health estate.

Ms Robison says the capital budget fluctuates, pointing to the new multi-million pound general hospital opened in Dumfries last year.

Scottish government director of health finance Christine McLaughlin says the capital budget reflects the planned spend.

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Health Secretary Shona Robison says she is confident the health commitments in the manifesto will be met.

Here they are:

• Increase the NHS revenue budget by £500m more than inflation by the end of the parliament - meaning it will increase by almost £2bn in total
• Invest £200m to expand the Golden Jubilee hospital in Clydebank and establish five new elective treatment centres in Aberdeen, Inverness, Dundee, Livingston and Edinburgh
• Implement a new £100m cancer plan to improve prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer
• Create an additional 1,000 training places for nurses and midwives
• Invest £150m in mental health services, with a ten year plan to transform mental health in Scotland
• Protect free prescriptions and free personal and nursing care

Image source, Getty Images

In December, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay announced:

• Health resource funding will increase by £400m, bringing the total to £13bn
• £110m for primary care
• Mental health investment will increase by £17m, with a pledge to deliver 800 new mental health workers
• £550m to support social care delivery via integrated joint boards and NHS funding

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Health Secretary Shona Robison concludes her opening statement on the health budget.

Apologies for the interruption in the video stream.

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The number of people waiting more than four hours in Scotland's accident and emergency units reached record high levels in the last week of the year.

The latest weekly figures show that just 78% of patients across Scotland were seen within the target time.

This was well below the Scottish government's 95% target, and the lowest since the weekly figures began in February 2015.

There were 25,865 attendances at emergency departments across Scotland.

Of these, 5,686 were not dealt with within the four-hour target..

The statistics for the week ending 31 December show that 1,156 (4.5%) patients spent more than eight hours in an emergency department.

There were 272 (1.1%) patients who spent more than 12 hours in A&E.

Image source, bbc

Our apologies but the video stream is not working, but we'll continue to report what's happening.

If you want to watch the committee please go to Scottish Parliament TV, external.

The first evidence session of 2018 begins. The committee is hearing from:

• Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for health and sport

• Christine McLaughlin, director of health finance, Scottish government

The Health and Sport Committee will take evidence on two topics this morning with Health Secretary Shona Robison.

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The first covers the draft budget 2018-19, with the committee hearing from:

• Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for health and sport
• Paul Gray, director general health & social care and chief executive NHSScotland
• Christine McLaughlin, director of health finance, Scottish government

Image source, Getty Images

The second follows the publication of the Review of Targets and Indicators for Health and Social Care in Scotland, external. The committee is taking evidence from:

• Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for health and sport
• Paul Gray, director general health & social care and chief executive NHSScotland
• Geoff Huggins, director for health and social care integration, Scottish government
• Dr Catherine Calderwood, chief medical officer

MSPs return to Holyrood today after the festive break.

The Health and Sport Committee this morning will take evidence from Health Secretary Shona Robison on the draft budget 2018-19 and on health and social care.

Image source, Getty Images

After topical questions, the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relationships Committee leads a debate on Article 50 withdrawal negotiations.

The day concludes with a members' debate on the maintenance of tenement communal property led by SNP MSP Ben Macpherson.

Image source, AFP